The present invention relates broadly to a lightning strike mitigation system and more particularly, a lightning strike mitigation system which may be used to protect aircraft and/or spacecraft.
Spacecraft, aircraft, and rocket motors often operate in an air environment where the temperature is greater than 2500° R and components are subjected to multiple Mach speed fluid shear. There is a need to maintain the protected airframe surface temperatures at or below 745° R. This requirement stands even after multiple lightning strikes are realized at different surface locations anytime during flight. One of several challenges to designers is to minimize the conduction of heat into the material beneath the exposed outside surface such that the least thickness and mass of ablative insulation material will adequately protect the airframe surface from overheating for a given mission and/or service life of the airframe. Another challenge is to formulate the component materials and to assemble them to specification onto an airframe with minimum cost and with little or no environmental/safety concern.